Search This Blog

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Reading

ἀναγιγνώσκω - "To read something that is written or inscribed, read" (BDAG). This word is used 32 times in the New Testament. 7 times in the gospel of Matthew Jesus is asking, "Have you not read?" in reference to the Old Testament. Out of the 7 times this word is used in Acts, 5 of them are in reference to reading in the Old Testament. In Thessalonians and Revelation the word is used in reference to public reading in the church. In the book of revelation this word is used under the heading of those who would be blessed by God. Those who are blessed are those who "continually read," "continually hear," and "continually keep" what is written in the book. Reading seems to be a lost art in our world today in light of TV, movies, and electronic fascination. There is a tremendous loss for those who do not read on a regular basis and it cannot be recovered by any other means. Reading is one of those things that cannot be duplicated by some other technique. Reading is one of the greatest blessings that a person can engage in. Reading exposes people to the gospel, to the beauty of Christ, the wonder of the atonement, the history of the church, the future of the church, the immanent return of Christ, etc. Reading allows people to sit at the feet of Owen, Watson, Bunyan, Swinnock, Spurgeon, Edwards, Morris, Beale, Carson, MacArthur, and a host of others. Reading is a discipline. Reading is a reward. Reading is an adventure. Reading is an exposure. Reading is one of the greatest privileges of the Christian faith. I ran across the following quote and pass it on for you to READ:Keep on Reading

Even if I don’t read as many books as others, I still read. If I’m not reading, I’m relying on my memory which seems to be decreasing daily. So I read. I once heard someone say that books don’t change people--sentences do. If I glean two or three sentences from a book that affect the way I think and the way I live, that’s time well invested. So I read. Books give me the opportunity to learn from and about godly, bright, insightful people I’ll never meet. So I read. What I know will always be dwarfed by what I don’t know. So I read. Books help me become more effective at what I do. So I read.